DeLand resident follows path of Buddha

Published: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 8:03 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 18, 2013 at 9:45 p.m.

DELAND — The "fat guy" is nowhere to be seen.

Yes, a statue of the Buddha rests on the table-top altar beside Sensei Morris Sekiyo Sullivan. But the 20 attendees at this weekly Wednesday gathering of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of DeLand, would search in vain for any sign of the smiling, pot-bellied Chinese deity known as Budai or Hotei.

Sullivan, a DeLand resident who in 2010 became a credentialed Buddhist minister (or "sensei," which means "teacher"), is used to encountering misconceptions about his spiritual path.

"The big one is, 'Why do you worship a fat guy?' " Sullivan says with a hearty laugh. "People see a statue of Hotei at a Chinese Restaurant and they think that's our god. It's not."

Buddhists note that westerners often conflate Hotei with the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. And westerners may get the wrong idea about Buddhist views of that "god" thing.

"No, the Buddha is not a deity, not a god — that's the short answer," says Sullivan, who was given the "dharma name" Sekiyo, Japanese for "stone sun," at his ordination. "The Buddha was a human being just like us. He did things that we can do, if we follow the path that he left instructions for."

Born circa 563 BCE in either present-day India or Nepal, the man who became Buddha (which means "awakened one" or "enlightened one") left teachings that offer "the potential for enlightenment," Sullivan says.

Leading a "dharma talk" on compassion this Wednesday night, Sullivan seems more bemused than alarmed by these misconceptions. Instead, he's focused on helping seekers gain insights into the "dharma" — the guidelines for practice that the Buddha left.

To that end, Sullivan goes about the duties of his ministry: He gives dharma talks and leads meditation sessions (some silent, some guided) at the gatherings of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship, held each Wednesday night and the last Sunday of each month. Sullivan also leads monthly Buddhist gatherings in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast and heads a weekly Buddhism discussion group among inmates at the Tomoka Correctional Institution.

He has officiated at weddings and funerals. He has published a book: "Wisdom — Compassion — Serenity: First Steps on the Buddhist Path." And, with the help of his wife, Michelle, he maintains the volusiabuddhist.org website and the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship's Facebook page.

The 57-year-old Sullivan traces the roots of his Buddhist path to his younger days growing up in a Baptist household in Lubbock, Texas — and to four Mop Tops from Liverpool, England.

"In 1964 I saw the Beatles on 'Ed Sullivan' and that was that," he says. "Anything they did, I was interested in because I was going to be the fifth Beatle when I grew up (laughs). So, in the late '60s when they went to India and studied meditation, I was very curious about that."

By the time his family moved to Orlando in 1971, Sullivan was reading "a lot of stuff about Zen," Indian religions, Taoism and the works of Alan Watts, one of the foremost proponents of Buddhism in the West.

And Sullivan was becoming disengaged by the Baptist faith of his parents.

"I saw the religion of my parents as clinging to a lot of attitudes that weren't working," he says. "So I was open to other religions."

Buddhism, he discovered, "is not a religion based on beliefs — it's a religion based on practice."

But even those practices "are not commandments you have to follow," Sullivan says. "We say, 'This is the path we want, so I'm going to follow these guidelines so I can make spiritual progress.' "

As Buddhism was seeping into his psyche, Sullivan earned a master's degree from Rollins College and ran an office supply store in Winter Park for 12 years. He ventured into real estate and teaching before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1997, including work for The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

"I didn't 100 percent consider myself a full-time Buddhist until around 2003," Sullivan says. That was the year he discovered the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship. When the founder of that group left in 2004, Sullivan inadvertently inherited its leadership.

"I had no particular desire to be a teacher at that point," he says. "But because I was the guy with the key to the church — literally — people would assume that I should be able to answer their questions"

Sullivan began to see "a need for some of the kind of services a minister can provide."

In 2008, while working full time as a News-Journal staff writer, Sullivan enrolled in the lay minister training program of the California-based Bright Dawn Center for Oneness Buddhism. Shortly before completing his online studies, Sullivan was laid off from The News-Journal in April 2010.

That turn of events, Sullivan says, "was a catalyst" and his Buddhist ministry "became an all-consuming process."

Though he's busy with ministerial duties, "I don't quite make a living at it," he confesses. He also works a number of odd jobs, and he continues to do freelance writing for The News-Journal.

"My wife, Michelle, has a real job (in IT) and she's got the benefits and all those kinds of things," he says.

Jerry Sprankel, a New Smyrna Beach resident and graphic designer, attends the Sunday gatherings of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship. He favors Sullivan's dharma talks "because they're very loose and very nondenominational. They're very light on ritual, very light on chanting. He always goes back to the sutras, to the original teachings of the Buddha. He tries to expand on those."

"With most Americans who are interested in Buddhism," Sullivan says, "it's 'I read something about Buddhism that sounded cool. I read something about the Dalai Lama. I read something by Thich Nhat Hanh that resonated with me — now what do I do?'

"I can answer that question. I can give some guidance on that path. Most people just want to do good, avoid evil and train the mind."

<p>DELAND &mdash; The "fat guy" is nowhere to be seen. </p><p>Yes, a statue of the Buddha rests on the table-top altar beside Sensei Morris Sekiyo Sullivan. But the 20 attendees at this weekly Wednesday gathering of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship, held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of DeLand, would search in vain for any sign of the smiling, pot-bellied Chinese deity known as Budai or Hotei. </p><p>Sullivan, a DeLand resident who in 2010 became a credentialed Buddhist minister (or "sensei," which means "teacher"), is used to encountering misconceptions about his spiritual path. </p><p>"The big one is, 'Why do you worship a fat guy?' " Sullivan says with a hearty laugh. "People see a statue of Hotei at a Chinese Restaurant and they think that's our god. It's not." </p><p>Buddhists note that westerners often conflate Hotei with the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. And westerners may get the wrong idea about Buddhist views of that "god" thing. </p><p>"No, the Buddha is not a deity, not a god &mdash; that's the short answer," says Sullivan, who was given the "dharma name" Sekiyo, Japanese for "stone sun," at his ordination. "The Buddha was a human being just like us. He did things that we can do, if we follow the path that he left instructions for." </p><p>Born circa 563 BCE in either present-day India or Nepal, the man who became Buddha (which means "awakened one" or "enlightened one") left teachings that offer "the potential for enlightenment," Sullivan says. </p><p>Leading a "dharma talk" on compassion this Wednesday night, Sullivan seems more bemused than alarmed by these misconceptions. Instead, he's focused on helping seekers gain insights into the "dharma" &mdash; the guidelines for practice that the Buddha left. </p><p>To that end, Sullivan goes about the duties of his ministry: He gives dharma talks and leads meditation sessions (some silent, some guided) at the gatherings of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship, held each Wednesday night and the last Sunday of each month. Sullivan also leads monthly Buddhist gatherings in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast and heads a weekly Buddhism discussion group among inmates at the Tomoka Correctional Institution. </p><p>He has officiated at weddings and funerals. He has published a book: "Wisdom &mdash; Compassion &mdash; Serenity: First Steps on the Buddhist Path." And, with the help of his wife, Michelle, he maintains the volusiabuddhist.org website and the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship's Facebook page. </p><p>The 57-year-old Sullivan traces the roots of his Buddhist path to his younger days growing up in a Baptist household in Lubbock, Texas &mdash; and to four Mop Tops from Liverpool, England. </p><p>"In 1964 I saw the Beatles on 'Ed Sullivan' and that was that," he says. "Anything they did, I was interested in because I was going to be the fifth Beatle when I grew up (laughs). So, in the late '60s when they went to India and studied meditation, I was very curious about that." </p><p>By the time his family moved to Orlando in 1971, Sullivan was reading "a lot of stuff about Zen," Indian religions, Taoism and the works of Alan Watts, one of the foremost proponents of Buddhism in the West. </p><p>And Sullivan was becoming disengaged by the Baptist faith of his parents. </p><p>"I saw the religion of my parents as clinging to a lot of attitudes that weren't working," he says. "So I was open to other religions." </p><p>Buddhism, he discovered, "is not a religion based on beliefs &mdash; it's a religion based on practice." </p><p>Some of those practices, which Sullivan conveys in his dharma talks, include: "consume mindfully," "share loving kindness," "practice gratitude," "discover wisdom" and "accept constant change." </p><p>But even those practices "are not commandments you have to follow," Sullivan says. "We say, 'This is the path we want, so I'm going to follow these guidelines so I can make spiritual progress.' " </p><p>As Buddhism was seeping into his psyche, Sullivan earned a master's degree from Rollins College and ran an office supply store in Winter Park for 12 years. He ventured into real estate and teaching before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1997, including work for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. </p><p>"I didn't 100 percent consider myself a full-time Buddhist until around 2003," Sullivan says. That was the year he discovered the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship. When the founder of that group left in 2004, Sullivan inadvertently inherited its leadership. </p><p>"I had no particular desire to be a teacher at that point," he says. "But because I was the guy with the key to the church &mdash; literally &mdash; people would assume that I should be able to answer their questions" </p><p>Sullivan began to see "a need for some of the kind of services a minister can provide." </p><p>In 2008, while working full time as a News-Journal staff writer, Sullivan enrolled in the lay minister training program of the California-based Bright Dawn Center for Oneness Buddhism. Shortly before completing his online studies, Sullivan was laid off from The News-Journal in April 2010. </p><p>That turn of events, Sullivan says, "was a catalyst" and his Buddhist ministry "became an all-consuming process." </p><p>Though he's busy with ministerial duties, "I don't quite make a living at it," he confesses. He also works a number of odd jobs, and he continues to do freelance writing for The News-Journal. </p><p>"My wife, Michelle, has a real job (in IT) and she's got the benefits and all those kinds of things," he says. </p><p>Jerry Sprankel, a New Smyrna Beach resident and graphic designer, attends the Sunday gatherings of the Volusia Buddhist Fellowship. He favors Sullivan's dharma talks "because they're very loose and very nondenominational. They're very light on ritual, very light on chanting. He always goes back to the sutras, to the original teachings of the Buddha. He tries to expand on those." </p><p>"With most Americans who are interested in Buddhism," Sullivan says, "it's 'I read something about Buddhism that sounded cool. I read something about the Dalai Lama. I read something by Thich Nhat Hanh that resonated with me &mdash; now what do I do?' </p><p>"I can answer that question. I can give some guidance on that path. Most people just want to do good, avoid evil and train the mind."</p>